Into The Woods
by Danni1989
Summary: When Elena is sent out to Salvatore Tree Farms to find the perfect Christmas tree, she is forced to confront her feelings about the Damon Salvatore. Written for the 2016 Author2AuthorExchange.


**This is for the 2016 Author2Author Exchange on LiveJournal for a prompt written by seethegoodinyou. Hope you enjoy it.**

 **It's up to Elena to choose the perfect tree for this year's Gilbert family Christmas, so she heads to the best place in Mystic Falls-the Salvatores' tree farm. She's prepared to hunt down the tree and cut it herself, but she soon discovers it's a bigger job than she'd planned on. Enter Damon, who she secretly has a thing for but has never been brave enough to act on it. As he helps her wrangle a tree, will she finally muster up the courage to reveal her feelings there in the middle of the woods?**

 **Bonus points for snow, hot cocoa, a surprise kiss, and a healthy dose of DE fluff. :)**

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"Does everyone have their assignments? This is going to be our biggest Christmas yet." My mom asked after handing out to-do lists a week before Christmas. We were getting a late start this year on Christmas preparations since we just got home from a week-long vacation in Hawaii yesterday. My parents early Christmas present to my brother and me. Needless to say, we had never loved our parents so much in our entire lives.

"Yeah I'm on window duty." Jeremy reiterated. As the resident art student in our house he only had one thing on his list besides buying supplies. We had a huge picture window in the front of our house and every year Jeremy painted a holiday mural on it. It was something people were starting to expect when it came to us and Jeremy upped is game every year.

"I'm going to find us a turkey or two and the rest of the supplies for the meal. When I get home, I have to call everyone to get a final number on dinner for Christmas Day. But before all of that I must go to the garage to dig out all the Christmas decorations. I know what I'm doing sweetheart, this isn't my first rodeo." He reminded my mom, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"I know dear, it's just at first count we have everyone from your side of the family plus all of mine this year. I'm a little flustered is all. Now Elena, what do you have to do?" She asked.

"I'm going out to the Salvatore Tree Farms to pick the perfect tree and a wreath for the front door. After that I have to go to the bakery to order the pies. And then to the store to buy another one of those turkey roaster ovens that sit on the counter so we can have both of dad's turkeys cooking at the same time. Then I have to come home and help dad call relatives for the final count. By the way, I was going to ask if Caroline can come for dinner? Her parents are fighting who's house she has to go to so she's planning on boycotting the whole holiday." I asked.

"Absolutely, there is always room for one more, even though eventually people might be eating in the attic." My mom laughed.

"Great, I'll tell her." I grinned as I wrapped my scarf around my neck and zipped up my jacket.

"Also, invite Mr. Salvatore and his family as well. He's been giving us the best Christmas trees for years now free of charge. It's the least we can do as a family to feed them for one night." She commanded and I saluted her before starting my car.

"So, what are you doing mom? I think you doled out everything to us?" Jeremy asked and I stifled a laughter. One thing my mom didn't like was being told she wasn't doing anything.

"I am decorating the house young man. You'd better get to work before I start piling other things onto your list of things to do." She said and he paled and rushed to the front door so he could go buy some new paint. When we were sure she was done we all went our separate ways.

Before I headed out to Salvatore's, I stopped at Caroline's house.

"Hey." I said when I walked in without knocking. When you were best friends as long as we have been, you no longer knocked at each others houses.

"Hey what's up?" She asked from her spot on the couch where she was rewatching "Dawson's Creek" for the umpteenth time.

"Just coming to invite you to the annual Gilbert family Christmas smorgasbord before heading out to Salvatore's Tree Farm to get the perfect tree and wreath." I told her.

"Really, you're going to see Damon? My God he is practically walking sex." She sighed.

"That's really all you got from that? I invited you over for supper at my house Christmas Day so you can avoid the usual Forbes family drama." I reminded her and she laughed.

"Well of course I will come. Anything to avoid my family drama." She sighed.

"Good, but I better go. Giuseppe is expecting me." I told her before walking back to her front door.

Salvatore Tree Farms was a few miles outside of Mystic Falls, but it looked like a different world out here. The trees were lush and there was nothing around at all until you drove down the unpaved road and found the house. Giuseppe was coming outside the moment my car stopped in front of the house. The older man didn't look so good and I'd known he'd been battling what my dad and Jeremy referred to as a "man cold" for the past few days.

"Good day Elena. You hear to find your moms tree?" He asked and I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah because it makes total sense to send the girl with little to no muscles to wrangle a massive Christmas tree." I joked and Giuseppe laughed.

"He sent the girl with the eye for detail is what she told me. All the biggest trees are out in that direction, that will be where you find the perfect one this year. I'm feeling a little under the weather today, so I'll send one of my boys out to help you." He told me.

"Great, thank you Giuseppe." I said pulling my mittens on so my hands won't freeze.

"Anything for my favourite Christmas family." He grinned.

"My mom told me to invite you and your family over for dinner on Christmas Day to thank you for your help all these years." I told him.

"The boys and I were just planning on hanging out here and eating Chinese or something." He shrugged.

"Well then you definitely have to come over. We're having turkey and all the fixings. You won't want to miss it." I told him and he laughed.

"Tell your mother you can count us in. My boys would never forgive me if I denied them the rights to an actual Christmas dinner." He laughed and I smiled in response.

"Good, I'll tell her when I get home. I better get out there before I turn into an icicle. It's way colder out here than it is in town." I told him and he nodded and turned back towards the house as I walked into the woods. It was beautiful out there, the trees were all lightly covered in snow which made it look magical. I wandered around until I stopped in front of one that was neither too big or too small. It was perfect. It was full and lush but it would fit comfortable in our living room.

"That the tree you want?" A voice said from behind me so I stopped and spun around. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"A little, but yes this is the one that I want." I told him.

"It's a damn nice tree." He said to me and I smiled. Caroline would be preening like crazy right now if faced with those devastating blue eyes. I was able to keep my attraction a little closer to me. I didn't want him thinking I was some sort of crazy stalker girl or something.

"It's perfect." I said with a smile.

"Do you want to give felling a tree a shot?" He asked me and I smiled and shook my head.

"I think I'd rather not. Thanks though." I laughed.

"You didn't think about bringing whatever guy you're dating to help you? Girls that look like you are always dating some lucky prick." He said and I smiled. It sort of sounded to me like he was fishing for information.

"No guy. I'm not dating anyone. My last boyfriend dumped me because I refused to be the trophy girlfriend on his arm." I told him.

"You're not some trophy to be shown off." Damon said but I wasn't sure if I was supposed to hear it or not.

"What about you? Any special girl?" I asked him and he laughed.

"Most girls I know don't like this whole tree/ nature thing that I do. They want to go to fancy restaurants and wear nice clothes, they don't like coming all the way out here to take care of trees and all the other things I have going on out here. This is a big operation for just three of us to run." He told me and I could understand that. I was happy that no girl had figured out how special he was yet. Caroline was very open about her attraction to Damon, but I was more than attracted to him. He was a year older than us and out of high school he immediately came to work with his dad out here. He didn't even consider college because he knew his father needed him. I wished there were more people like him in the world, but people nowadays were inherently selfish.

"I admire you so much Damon." I said to him.

"Thanks Elena." He said as he swung the axe at the tree. I was standing behind him so I knew there was no chance I wasn't standing where I should be. "So how has a girl like you not found someone worthy of her?" I took a deep breath at his question because it was now or never. It wasn't like I socialized with him often enough that it would be awkward if he didn't feel the same way.

"Because no one that I know is you. That's the honest to God answer, I've liked you since before you graduated last year. It's kind of hard to date someone worthy when the only guy I see is you." I told him. Just as I said that the tree fell into the clearing but my eyes were still on him.

"Elena, I had no idea you felt that way." He said dropping the axe on the ground.

"No one did. Not even Caroline." I confessed.

"Would it shock you if I said I felt the same way too?" He asked me and I couldn't help but smile.

"It really would." I answered honestly.

"Because I do. I think you're gorgeous, all through high school your smile managed to bring butterflies to my stomach. No one had ever managed to do that before." He told me.

"Why didn't you ever say something?" I asked.

"Because I knew I wasn't going anywhere and I knew that you would leave and do something great when you graduated. I knew if I let myself fall in love with you then it would hurt like hell when it inevitably ended." He told me.

"You shouldn't go through life thinking like that." I told him.

"I know I shouldn't but it doesn't change anything. I should get your tree loaded onto the flat bed." He told me. Before he could walk away I grabbed his arm and stepped up to kiss him. One of us had to be the brave one in this situation. He kissed me back almost immediately and soon I was wrapped up in his arms and mine were wrapped around him as we kissed. His tongue stroked mine and it was the single most intense kiss of my life. "Now that changes things. How can I not want to try when you kiss like that?" He asked when we broke the kiss a few minutes later.

"I know right." I laughed.

"Now we have to get the tree loaded." He said unwrapping his arms from around me. I nodded and helped him load the tree onto the flatbed truck he'd brought with him. Once we had it strapped down I got into the passenger seat.

"You found the perfect tree?" Giuseppe asked when we got back to the yard.

"Yeah. Now I just need a wreath and then I can be on my way." I told him.

"I'll deliver this to your house Elena." Damon told me and I smiled.

"I'll see you on Christmas Day." I said with a smile.

"You will?" He asked and I grinned.

"Yeah, Miranda and Grayson invited us over for dinner with their family. Thought you boys would enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner." Giuseppe cut in and we smiled at each other.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just before guests were set to arrive on Christmas Day I put the finishing touches on my outfit. I was wearing a tight red dress with lacy sleeves and my favourite black sling back heels. Christmas in the Gilbert household was a fashionable occasion. No sweatpants or hoodies on Christmas.

"Everything is perfect." My mom gushed as she did a final inspection on everything.

"Yeah it is." I told her giving her a quick hug. Ever since that day in the woods Damon and I had been texting constantly.

"Damon is going to die when he sees you tonight." Caroline said hugging me. She was wearing a blue party dress that she had convinced her dad to buy her for Christmas.

"Thanks for being okay with us." I told her.

"What is there to be okay about. I thought he was sexy, you obviously like him for so much more than that. Besides I like the other one." She told me. People were arriving in droves but I was waiting patiently for Damon and his family. When the doorbell rang again, I rushed to the door and opened it revealing Giuseppe, Damon and Stefan.

"You look lovely Elena, thank you again so much for having us." Giuseppe said kissing my cheek.

"The pleasure was all mine. Go on in, my parents are circulating the room." I told him and they walked past us.

"You look so beautiful." Damon whispered in my ear. We hadn't gone public with our relationship yet, but I knew everyone who needed to approve would.

"You look very handsome." I said back before shutting the door behind him.

"You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you right now." He whispered.

"I'll meet you under the mistletoe." I whispered back with a smirk.


End file.
